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SALT LAKE CITY -- Thursday's earthquake in Utah didn't do much damage, but it got a lot of people's attention -- and it has a lot of people thinking.
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Ed Yeates explains science of earthquakes
KSL's Ed Yeates has been covering earthquakes for decades. He joins Bruce and Deanie live on KSL News at 5 to answer some questions about earthquakes.Is it a sign that a "big one" is coming -- or even worse? Is there a spiritual side to all the earthquakes that are in the news recently?
If you search the internet, there are plenty of sites that suggest recent seismic -- and volcanic -- activity are signs that "something's up" -- maybe even a sign that "the end is near."
But psychic and medium Kim Terry is one who doesn't buy all that. She does feel strongly, however, that shifts in the earth signify a shift in global human energy.
"It's not about end, it's about change, is what it's really about," Terry said. "It's about doing something old in a new way."
In fact, U.S. Geological Survey records show there are lot of smaller earthquakes every day in Utah. Plus, people are much more aware of these events: Reports and pictures are available in an instant now. It can spark a equally fast reaction.
Earthquakes worldwide
| Magnitude | # of quakes annually |
|---|---|
| 8 and higher | 1 |
| 7 - 7.9 | 17 |
| 6 - 6.9 | 134 |
| 5 - 5.9 | 1319 |
| 4 - 4.9 | 13,000 (estimated) |
| 3 - 3.9 | 130,000 (estimated) |
| 2 - 2.9 | 1,300,000 (estimated) |
Emergency supply stores are seeing a steady flow of traffic of people who say the earthquake did spark them into action to come and get prepared.
"It shook me up, it shook my family up," one customer at a Salt Lake City Emergency Essentials store said. "I called everyone in my family to make sure everyone was safe."
Shoppers that store aren't panicking, but they do say Thursday's quake had an effect on them.
"It reaffirmed, but didn't make it any more urgent than it was," said shopper Karen Cox.
Andrew Bishop said, "It hit close to home, more so than Haiti,"
About 700 earthquakes, including aftershocks, are located in Utah each year. Approximately 2% of them are felt.
For most people, a balanced approach is what works.
"Sometimes we need to get physically shaken up before we'll take a look at it from a different way," Terry said.
And even Terry will tell you, it just takes experience to get that lesson.
E-mail: rpiatt@ksl.com
